Improvement in roofing-tiles



H. E. MERRILL. Roofing-Tile.

No. 202,953. Patented April 30,1878.

e l I mness es Inve nio r UNITED STATES PATENT CEEIOE.

HENRY E. MERRILL, OF AKRON, OHIO.

IMPROVEMENT IN ROOFlNG-TILES.

Specication forming part of Letters Patent No. 202,953, dated April 30, 1878; application tiled March 13, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY E. MERRILL, of Akron, in the county of Summit and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Roofing-Tiles, of which the following is a specification:

My invention has relation to that class of roofing-tiles wherein upwardly-projecting iianges along the edges of the upper part of the under tile interlock with downwardly-projecting flanges along the edges of the lower part of the overlappin g tile.

These tiles, of whatever shape, have heretofore been so constructed that the upper and lower lianges and the body of the tile terminate at the side corners in one plane, parallel with the longest diameter of the tile and perpendicular to the face of the tile; and hence, when laid in ranks, the dividing line between the upper and lower lianges and body of contiguous tile is in the same plane. The objection to this construction is, that while the space between the upper anges of such contiguous tile is covered by the point of the overlapping tile, and the space between the lower flanges is in like manner protected by the end fiange of the under tile, the space between the corners of the bodies of the tiles is in no way closed, and as it is often necessary, in laying tiles, to separate them some considerable distance apart, there is thus left an open space equal in width to such separation, and of a height equal to the thickness of the tile, through which snow and rain may enter in driving storms, thus causing the roof to leak. The object of my invention is to obviate this difficulty.

I accomplish this by so constructing the tile that the top of the lower half thereof, with reference to a line passing between the side corners, shall not coincide with the bottom of the upper half, but shall stand slightly to one side thereof, leaving a notch at each side corner, giving it the appearance of a tile, as ordinarily made, severed in two halves at a line passing between the side corners, and the lower half pushed slightly to one side of its original position. This will be readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure l is a top perspective View of my improved tile; Fig. 2, a similar under view of the same; and Fig. 3 a plan ot three tiles laid together.

A is the body ofthe tile, having the flanges B B O C upon the top and bottom thereof, respectively.

The tile being divided by the line x, the upper edge of the lower half does not coincide with the lower edge of the upper half, but stands slightly to one side thereof, leaving the notches N N at the corners. Hence, when laid, the line c, between the sides of the body of the tile, does not coincide with the line e between the iianges B B, but abuts directly upon the edge of the body of the tile at the notch N, and is thereby effectually closed.

To accommodate the peculiar form of the side corners, the spaces inside of the iianges at the ends of the tile, above and below, are formed to one side of the center by a shoulder, t t', and a corresponding hollow on the opposite side.

I claim as my in vention- 1. A rooiing-tile the upper and lower halves of which, with reference to a line drawn between the side corners, lie in the same plane, and the lower half is oi'set to the right or left of the top half, substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore set forth.

2. A roofing-tile having the body A, iianges B and G, and notches N N', substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore set forth.

HENRY E. MERRILL.

O Witnesses C. P. HUMPHREY, W. T. CARR. 

